Machine for slitting well casings and the like



Jan 2 1940 G. E. GREEN l 2,185,337

MACHINE FOR SLITTING WELL CASINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. '7, 1938 3 Sheelcs-Sheet vl e N /W i I a a I I I I m I w I I n NK I I' II I MVL l, I: f, NI

L I I I l I I I I I NJ ,s I XII' I o DQ N I III II I w N A J \I g; l--i W a., E'e/ INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Jan. 2, 1940. G, E, GREEN l 2,185,337

MACHINE FOR SLITTING WELL CASINGS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. '7, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @E S mum/rml @www g NK /llllll Mmmm! Il 631i? @Ween A TTORNEYS.

Jan. 2, 1940. G. E. GREEN MACHINE FOR SLITTING WELLl CASINGS AND THE L'IKE Filed Jan. '7, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 `-INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE MACHINE FOR SLITTING WELL CASINGS AND THE LIKE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a machine for producing slits in well casings and the like, an object being to provide a simple, strong and compact machine which, when operating on well casings of the type formed of sheet metal, will operate to produce slits spirally or otherwise arranged each of which has an outwardly pressed upper wall or lip and an inwardly pressed lower wall or lip.

It has been found in practice that where well casings or the like are formed with the usual long, wide slots extending longitudinally of the casing, the sand surrounding the casing tends to run freely thereinto to the bottom of the well, more especially when the pump is not working, with the result that the well becomes filled with sand to a point where it becomes necessary to pull the pump and remove the sand.

An object of the present invention is to provide a machine whereby a casing or the like of special construction can be produced for the purpose of preventing the undesirable ow of sand into the well without, however, interfering with the free iiow of water so that the free particles of sand mixed therewith can be carried to the pump and deposited on the ground without having an opportunity to settle at the bottom of the well.

A further object is to provide a machine of the type which can be adjusted readily for the purpose of receiving the casing or the like to be i acted on and for releasing the same, not/el cutting means being employed which are under constant control of the operator whereby slits having walls of the peculiar arrangement desired can be formed at any pitch desired relative to the longitudinal axis of the casing.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim. it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

1n said drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine, a portion of a well casing being shown in position therein in section.

Figure 2 is a plan View.

Figure 3 is an end elevation.

Figure i is a section on line ll-fl, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section through the cutting disk and adjacent parts.

Figure 6 is a section on line i12-S, Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a section through a portion of the casingrshowing how the sand is normally held back thereby.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l designates the bed of the machine having an upstanding frame Z at one end and an intermediate supporting bracket 3 resting on the bed and preferably formed of a short angle beam. The top of the machine is formed of a head t in the form of an angle beam one end of which is supported on the frame 2 while an intermediate portion is mounted on a spacing block 5. A plate 6 can be interposed between this block and the head or beam 4 and between said head or beam and the frame 2 as shown. Tie-rods 'l are used for binding the end beam ll upon the frame 2, these tie-rods l being extended upwardly from the bed l and engaging a plate 8 which overlies and pro-jects beyond the head or beam il.

A saddle 9 is supported on the bracket 3 and serves also to suport the intermediate portion of a stationary arm It] preferably cylindrical and extending from frame 2, this arm being snugly bridged by the lower end of block 5 and said block also embracing an elongated sleeve l l which projects from frame 2 and is mounted on and lies parallel with the arm l0.

Elongated U-bolts l2 extend under the end portions of the saddle 9 and upwardly at opposed sides of the arm lll and sleeve Il to the top of the machine where said bolts are secured to plates I3 which rest on head or beam 4. By tightening the U-bolts the parts can be drawn together securely so as to cooperate with tie-bolts l and frame 2 to form a rigid structure.

A bracket it depends from the free end portion of the head or beam l kand has a cylindrical bore l5 in which is mounted a rotatable sleeve l5 having an eccentric bore l1. This sleeve is provided with an arm i8 whereby it can be rotated readily in the opening l5.

An elongated shaft I9 is journalled in the eccentric bore Il and extends through frame 2. That end of the shaft nearest the frame is provided with a gear 20 meshing with a similar gear 2| on another elongated shaft 22 which is journaled within and extends through the sleeve Il. Motion may be transmitted to these shafts through a gear 24 on shaft 22 which gear receives motion from any suitable source, such as a small driving gear 25. 'Ihus it will be seen that the two shafts when actuated will be rotated in opposite directions respectively but at the same speed.

Those ends of the shafts I9 and 22 remote from the gears are provided with cutting disks or wheels of novel construction. Each shaft is provided with a pair of these disks shown at 26 and 21 and the disk of each pair are formed with spaced marginal slitting blades or elongated teeth 28 arranged directly beside each other and of the same length. The outer faces of these teeth are beveled in the same direction along narallellines.

The disks on the end of shaft 22 correspond in size and shape to those on the shaft .I9 although the bevels of the disks or cutters on shaft 22 are disposed oppositely to those on shaft i9. Thus when the two sets of disks or cutters rotate in unison in opposite directions respectively, the teeth or blades on the lower set of disks or cutters will lap the corresponding teeth or blades on the upper disks or cutters, as shown` in Figure 3. Consequently, and as illustrated in Figure Al, these teeth or blades will cooperate to form slits in material fed between the cutters, one wall of each slit being pressed outwardly while the other wall is pressed inwardly.

By forming a well casing of sheet metal and feeding it between the cutters, said cutters will operate to form slits successively within the .casing and if the casing is held obliquely to the ,axis of rotation of shaft 22, the slits .can be formed in a spiral arrangement as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

To facilitate insertion of the tubular member in the machine, arm or lever i8 is rotated so as to cause sleeve IG to turn within bore l5. As bore Il in which shaft I 9 is located, is eccentrically positioned, this rotation of sleeve i6 will result in shaft i9 being swung upwardly away from shaft 22 so astoopen the pass between the opposed pairs of cutters. Thus the casing, indicated generally at C, can be inserted in the machine where it will extend around arm l0 and sleeve ll. After it has been placed in the proper position, the sleeve l 5 is again rotated to move the upper cutters downwardly toward the lower cutters land thereafter the two shafts are driven by mechanism provided therefor and as they rotate the cutters will likewise rotate and produce slits of the peculiar arrangement and formation which has been described.

After the casing has been formed as herein described it can be set up in the well for use and it is designed to so arrange it that the surfaces between the slits will incline downwardly and outwardly as shown particularly in Figure 7, ',Ihus

sand packed about the casing will tend to be deflected outwardly away from the slits so that, when the pump is not working, there will be no tendency of the sand to ow into the casing and rise within the bottom portion of the well where it will interfere with the proper operation. Instead sand will only enter the casing during the operation of the pump and at that time it will ow inwardly with the water being drawn upwardly into the casing and this sand, being thoroughly Vmixed with the Water, can be carried upwardly and discharged from the well as ordinarily. It will not settle in the well and tend to clog it.

What is claimed is:

A machine for slitting tubular well casings or the like including spaced beams constituting a bed, `an upsta-ndi-ng frame on one end of the bed, and a transverse beam mounted on and connecting the beams of the bed and constituting a bracket, an arm overlying the bed and extending from the end of the frame, a beam overlying the end frame and the bed, a spacing block interposed between said beam an-d the transverse beam, means for tying together said top beam, end frame and bed, means for tying together said top beam, spacing block and transverse beam or bracket, superposed shafts journalled in the end frame, the upper shaft being mounted for up and down swinging movement, both of the shafts being extended through the spacing block, means for simultaneously rotating the shafts in opposite directions respectively and at the same speed, rotatable means supported by the top beam at that end remote from the frame for adjustably supporting the upper shaft, the lower shaft being extended along and projecting beyond the arm on the end frame, and a pair `o1? cutting disks on one end of each shaft, the disks of each pair overlying the disks of the other pair, each disk having spaced cutting blades, the blades of the disks of one pair being beveled oppositely to the blades of the disks of the other pair and all of the blades cooperating to form spaced slits in a well casing or the like placed around the lower shaft of the arm and between the said disks, said blades also cooperating to displace outwardly material between the slits, all displaced portions being inclined outwardly toward the same end of the casing.

GEORGE E. GREEN. 

